.40 or .45?

[Bonecrusher]

Bought my 1st handgun several months ago to use in the car and on the night stand. It is an M&P 9mm and I am very satisfied except it does not have a thumb safety. I've decided to replace it with one that has a thumb safety and am thinking about stepping up to an M&P .40 or .45 semi-automatic. I am leaning toward the .45 for the added punch but I'd very much appreciate your thoughts about the pros and cons of the .40 vs the .45 before I "pull the trigger" on this purchase. Thanks!

 

[Warren Sear]

45 always. Because.

 

[Parker357]

For as little as you plan to use it I would go with the .45 ACP, great knockdown, rounds are not terribly expensive for now.

 

[GKC]

Can you go to a range and rent both models? Or if not these exact models, try renting a polymer handgun in both calibers. Some find the .40 to be snappy and unpleasant to shoot, while others don't. Felt recoil is very subjective, and each person may have a different perception, based on several variables which include the make/model of the gun and the shooter's grip/hand strength, as well as recoil sensitivity.

Both the .40 and .45 are effective SD/HD rounds, and there are numerous pro/con comparison threads on these rounds. Either one should do the task, but you may find one more pleasant to shoot than the other.

 

[M&P Freak]

Have both, much prefer the 45.

 

[timn8er]

In my little collection I have both 40's & 45's. I don't think you can go wrong with either. As its been posted, some people find the 40 too snappy;I don't. Not as soft a shooter as my 9mm's, but nothing I can't handle. But as much as I like 40's, I've been shooting a lot more 45ACP recently, & I like it a lot! I think that a 45 loaded with a good defense round would be hard to beat. I agree with the other posters in that if you can possibly rent the pistols in the calibers you are interested in you will make a much more informed choice. Hope you find what works for you!

 

[kennyb]

another vote for the good ole 45acp...i have several in this caliber...the most recent being the M&P 45c

 

[DanMN]

I've got 9s, 40s, and 45s. I do like shooting 45 the best. Don't let the word snappy keep you from a 40 either. It's really not a lot different from a 9 or a 45 for me. Everyone is different though. I carry all three at different times. They will all do the job if the situation unfortunately arises.


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[MSG Glenn]

Normally M&Ps come without thumb safeties. Make sure you order one that doesn't have one unless they're required in your state. A standard M&P has no safety or mag safety except in certain states.

.40 cal pistols have more of a perceived recoil than .45 in my experience. It's a higher pressure round & is "snappy" where a .45 gives more of a "push" as opposed to a "climb" when it recoils.

My goal is to have 9MM, .40 & .45. With my M&P 40C I can get a drop-in 9MM barrel as well as a drop-in .357sig barrel with no modifications to the firearm. I'll just need 9MM magazines for that conversion. Since the M&P 45C is longer than the other compacts & the full size M&P 45 is longer than FS of other calibers I doubt if you could do that. Maybe an aftermarket company makes them. Ditto for the mags. I don't know if you can put mags from any other M&Ps in a 45.

This conversion possibility might help influence you. It can only be accomplished with a M&P 40/40C. Three calibers in one pistol.

 

[Super Trucker]

I usually always tell people I prefer the .45acp over the .40s&w just because the round is bigger. Bigger round, bigger hole should cause more fluid leakage.
Unfortunately when it comes to the M&P line I recommend the .40 because of magazine capacity. Having the full size .45 only hold 10 rounds is a joke. I do not like having to carry/conceal that big of a gun with little mag capacity.
Also I usually tell people to stay away from thumb safeties unless they train with them extensively. If you are in a SHTF scenario and forget to disengage it you will be dead and the bad guy will have your gun, always remember a guns safety is between the users ears.

 

[11e40]

.45acp, good for over 100 yrs.

 

[Scopes]

You need to try both and see what works for you. A quality self defense HP in either 40 or 45 is going to take someone out, period. IMO, the 40 is snappy and requires a stronger hand to keep level in case you need to pull off more than one shot to save yourself. The 45 is easier to pull off multiple shots without as much correction. Again, it's all personal preference. And, as mentioned, magazine capacity is a consideration. But hopefully it will never come to that.

 

[bunkshaner]

i have had the 9..40 and 45. I only have the .45 now...m&p with thumb safety. was accurate right out of the box. I would put my m&p .45 against any gun available. but maybe go try out a couple and see what gives you the best feel.

 

[RussC]

I have an XD 45 on my night stand loaded up with 14 hollow point +p 230 grain.

If an elephant breaks into my home I am ready.

But don't stop with the 45. Desert Eagle 50 caliber or S&W 500. Why because you can.

Russ

 

[TheMaineEvent]

I'm a .45 guy, and while I own mostly S&W firearms, my go-to .45 is an Springfield Armory XDm.
It holds an edge on the number of rounds and that was a big selling point for me, but you can't go wrong with any M&P pistol.

 

[JJEH]

I had the .40S&W M&P and loved it and I can absolutely recommend it. But the .45 is also a great caliber. So it really depends on your personal preference.

 

[George9]

.45 need I say more? Any solid hit with that big bore will do some damage and at the very least cause a laps of awareness do to the impact and pain, yes even with a good hit on the hand or finger. this will give you time for well place follow up shots. This big *** heavy bullet has just the right velocity and weight for some strange reason.. Yes .45 for me anyway.. No thinking about it.. I have many other calibers but I always grab a .45 for defence and a 9mm as a backup piece. George

 

[S&W-Admirer]

I have lots of new shooters and women shoot .40 handguns very well in my Texas CHL classes. I prefer the .40 over .45 because it can be chambered in a smaller framed handgun the same size as a 9mm.

 

[WA101]

In terms of "punch", it really doesn't matter what caliber you shoot. No gun carried by a man will reliably stop another man with only one shot. It takes at least two shots, and the stopping rate with 2 or more hits to the head or torso is about the same for all calibers. Here's a good article documenting the effectiveness of all the common handgun and rifle calibers.

An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power

I bought an M&P40 with a thumb safety in March, and I really like it.

I know the manual thumb safety isn't for everyone, but I think the thumb safety on the M&P is a great feature for anyone that likes to have that extra bit of control over the gun.

As for choice of caliber, you might want to consider ammo availability in your area. In the area where I live, 40 has always been in stock and available when I've wanted it. I can't say that for 45, and I certainly can't say that for 9mm. In my case, the availability of ammo was probably biggest factor that made me go with 40 even though I'd never shot that caliber before purchasing the M&P40. I had previously shot 9mm and 45. I've found 40 to be very fun to shoot, and I've had no regrets about my supply driven caliber choice.

 

[RussC]

In terms of "punch", it really doesn't matter what caliber you shoot. No gun carried by a man will reliably stop another man with only one shot. It takes at least two shots, and the stopping rate with 2 or more hits to the head or torso is about the same for all calibers. Here's a good article documenting the effectiveness of all the common handgun and rifle calibers.

An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power

I bought an M&P40 with a thumb safety in March, and I really like it.

I know the manual thumb safety isn't for everyone, but I think the thumb safety on the M&P is a great feature for anyone that likes to have that extra bit of control over the gun.

As for choice of caliber, you might want to consider ammo availability in your area. In the area where I live, 40 has always been in stock and available when I've wanted it. I can't say that for 45, and I certainly can't say that for 9mm. In my case, the availability of ammo was probably biggest factor that made me go with 40 even though I'd never shot that caliber before purchasing the M&P40. I had previously shot 9mm and 45. I've found 40 to be very fun to shoot, and I've had no regrets about my supply driven caliber choice.

Thanks

I have read the article awhile back

I am amazed at the results of a 32.

No surprise with a shotgun. Looks like we all need to turn in our Shields for a 32 and shotgun.

Russ